Business Ethics, Legal Compliance and Transparency
Transparent management based on trust with employees and stakeholders
SDGs We Contribute to
We take care to establish relationships with all our stakeholders with whom we interact in our activities within the framework of ethical values. The ethical rules contained in the Aromsa Code of Conduct that our employees must adhere to can be summarized under six categories.
1. Protection of Competition and Compliance with Laws
Aromsa adopts the principle of fair competition. Within the scope of the Law on the Protection of Competition and related regulations, employees are required to observe the competitive relationship between the Company and its competitors, not share relevant Company information with competitors, and not make any anti-competitive agreements between the Company and its competitors. Employees carry out all activities and transactions within the framework of the laws of the Republic of Türkiye and applicable international laws, and provide accurate, complete and understandable information to all supervisory institutions and organizations.
2. Conflicts of Interest
Aromsa observes the principles of respect, justice and equality in its relations with customers, suppliers and any other organization that it works with. In this context, employees may not use their duties and positions to gain personal benefits, directly or indirectly, or accept gifts in connection with sales and purchases made by the Company. Aromsa employees may not work in another company or organization at the same time, and may not provide consultancy to another company or organization, except for tasks assigned by their judicial and administrative authorities.
3. Practices Regarding Assets
Aromsa takes the necessary measures to protect trade secrets and other confidential information, which are among its valuable assets, and to maintain their confidentiality. Employees have an obligation to protect Aromsa’s trade secrets and other proprietary information. Employees may not use such information for their own benefit or the benefit of third parties. Employees’ personal information is secured. No employee may process or use another employee’s private personal information in a way that violates the Personal Data Protection Law No. 6698 (PDPL).
4. Fighting Corruption
Aromsa is committed to effectively fight against corruption and bribery, adhering to the principle of transparency. We act in an open, ethical manner that conforms to the laws towards potential and existing customers, suppliers and public officials. Employees may not, under any circumstances, receive any personal or monetary unfair advantage from a supplier, business partner or public official. It is essential that all business transactions are accurately recorded in accordance with local and international accounting principles and supported by appropriate documentation. Expenses incurred by employees are documented and recorded in accordance with accounting standards.
5. Employer’s Commitment to Compliance with ETI (Ethical Trade Initiative) Base Code, Employee Awareness and Employee Rights
Aromsa strictly adheres to the principles of business ethics in its supplier operations. ETI (Ethical Trading Initiative) Base Code is shared with all suppliers and subcontractors, and all stakeholders who may have a direct or indirect impact are expected to comply with the ETI Base Code.
6. Other Business Ethics Rules
Employees are expected to behave according to published workplace rules. During employee performance reviews, the principles of transparency, equality and accuracy are observed. Employees avoid making misleading claims or statements about the Company in their social media posts and other communications.
Transparent and secure reporting mechanism for employees
You can access the full text of the Aromsa Code of Conduct, which we have created as a guide to ensure that our ethical understanding is adopted by our internal and external stakeholders, from our website.
We updated the Aromsa Ethics (Morality) Procedure in 2023 by determining the duties and responsibilities for managing compliance with ethical rules at the corporate level. In this context, the Aromsa Employer Representative, as the Company’s Ethics Officer, is responsible for ensuring that ethical rules are known throughout the organization, keeping them up to date, and monitoring employees’ adherence to the ethical rules.
We conduct informational meetings and training activities to raise ethical awareness in our company. We provide information to our employees regarding our Company’s Ethical Procedure and Code of Conduct through the ‘HR Shares’ meetings organized by the Human Resources management. We ensure that all employees, including new hires, fill out and sign the Declaration of Compliance with the Code of Conduct. To increase compliance with ethical rules and ensure that employees make informed decisions, we have been organizing training programs on ‘Ethical Principles and Code of Conduct’ and ‘Fight Against Bribery and Corruption’ starting from 2023.
We have an ethics hotline which employees can use to report any ethical violations or illegal behaviour that they witness.
Reports, which can be made anonymously to the Aromsa ethics line at ethic@aromsa.com.tr and etikhat@aromsa.com.tr are delivered directly to the Aromsa Ethics Officer. Reports of ethical violations are evaluated by the Aromsa Disciplinary Committee, which consists of the General Manager, the Employer Representative and the Chief Employee Representative, who are responsible for the operation of the rules at the highest level, in accordance with the principles of impartiality and confidentiality.
All employees are informed and encouraged to speak up when they become aware of any act of corruption and bribery without hesitation. They can report their concerns through their department managers, submit them in writing directly to Human Resources or the General Manager or express them by filling out the relevant form in the complaint boxes, or report them to the ethics line. There were no confirmed cases of corruption during the reporting period.
Aromsa undergoes a social compliance audit every year, which is also followed by our global customers. All announced, semi-announced and unannounced social compliance audits conducted by our global business partners during the reporting period were successfully completed with zero finding of non-compliance.
